{"id":13794,"date":"2019-10-21T05:00:00","date_gmt":"2019-10-21T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/estreetshuffle.com\/?p=13794"},"modified":"2023-01-01T11:50:39","modified_gmt":"2023-01-01T19:50:39","slug":"roll-of-the-dice-brothers-under-the-bridges-83","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/estreetshuffle.com\/index.php\/2019\/10\/21\/roll-of-the-dice-brothers-under-the-bridges-83\/","title":{"rendered":"Roll of the Dice: Brothers Under the Bridges (’83)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Bruce wrote, recorded, and released (eventually) two songs that share virtually the same title, and almost every scholarly Springsteen resource I’ve seen states that there’s no relationship between the two.<\/p>\n

But I don’t believe that.<\/p>\n

An attentive listen reveals that the two songs are linked by far more than their title–they also have the same narrator and serve as prequel\/sequel.<\/p>\n

The later song is the better known of the two: “Brothers Under the Bridge<\/a>” was recorded in 1995 and explores the plight of returning Vietnam vets; we’ll delve into it someday when the dice direct me to write about it. Bruce performed it regularly during his Ghost of Tom Joad solo acoustic tour.<\/p>\n

The earlier song is considerably more obscure. Although both were released on Bruce’s 1998 Tracks <\/em>compilation years after they were originally recorded, “Brothers Under the Bridges” (note the plural), unlike its younger sibling, has never been performed live.<\/p>\n

Recorded during the Born in the U.S.A.\u00a0<\/em>sessions, “Brothers Under the Bridges” features the E Street Band at the height of their powers, with a particularly strong sax solo from Clarence Clemons. (Oh, how I wish he’d had a chance to play it live.) It also bears more than a passing resemblance to another\u00a0Born in the U.S.A.\u00a0<\/em>track, which may explain why it was left off the album.<\/p>\n

Let’s take a listen:<\/p>\n